Ratepayers are facing a bill of up to £30,000 for a by-election in Craigavon.
Local councillors failed to reach an agreement on Monday night for a replacement for the Traditional Unionist Voice's Mark Russell, who resigned earlier this year.
TUV candidate David Calvert could not secure a seconder and the DUP and UUP vetoed each other's proposals while nationalists abstained.
SDLP Upper Bann MLA and Craigavon councillor Dolores Kelly has described the situation as "a stand-off between the various shades of unionism on Craigavon Council".
She said: "This is a mainly unionist ward and the expectation had been that, following a deal done in Ballymoney, the TUV would hold it by co-option of David Calvert.
"This was payback by the UUP for the DUP's refusal of a co-option in Dromore last year. The outcome is that ratepayers are facing a bill of £25,000-30,000 for a by-election to satisfy political egos."
'Political egos'
TUV Chairman Ivor McConnell has expressed his party's anger over the stalemate.
He said: "Our good faith in not forcing a by-election in Ballymoney has been shamelessly exploited. Sadly, even in local government it seems the DUP is not to be trusted."
But he added that ratepayers could still be spared the expense of picking up the tab for a by-election - if other Unionist parties do not nominate candidates.
"Indeed David Simpson and Stephen Moutray both pledged in August that they would recommend to the DUP that they should not fight a by-election, if one was forced," he continued. "We'll see what value attaches to that undertaking in the coming weeks."
According to DUP MLA and Craigavon Council Group Leader, Stephen Moutray, his party did not go back on an agreement with the TUV not to oppose their co-option of the seat.
He said that the DUP only proposed a local community worker - a local man, not affiliated to any party, the DUP believed would have been broadly acceptable to most people on the council - in a bid to avoid a costly by-election because the TUV's proposed candidate failed to secure a seconder.
"We will not take any criticism from Jim Allister about the outcome. Our deal with Jim was that we would not oppose the co-option and we did not," said Mr Moutray.
"However if his Party's nominee was unable, on two occasions, to gain a seconder within the Council he can hardly blame the DUP - he should be asking why Mr Calvert was unable to gain that support."
He added: "It is common knowledge that TUV is split asunder over who should have replaced Mr Russell, they would be better served seeking to calm the tensions in their own Party rather than making false allegations about other Parties."
© UTV News